Chizuru Yoshida
"Chizuru is a good person. Like if someone attacks her, she'll fight back head-on. Even if she comes into contact with something painful about herself, she'll still fight back. Even if it causes her damage too." - Ayane explaining Chizuru's strong-willed personality Chizuru Yoshida (吉田 千鶴 Yoshida Chizuru) is a character in the series Kimi ni Todoke. She studied at Kitahoro High School together with her childhood friend, neighbor, and later fiance Ryu Sanada, and is Sawako Kuronuma's and Ayane Yano's classmate and close friend. Her nickname is "Chizu". She is in Kitahoro's basic school program. Out of the 4 heroines, she is the tallest and most athletic, boasting a streak of 99 victories wrestling guys in middle school. Though not very feminine, she likes wearing miniskirts and sports shorts to accent her legs. Because of her tomboyish appearance, she has often been mistaken for a former Yankee since childhood. Appearance Chizuru is a high school girl with shoulder length brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She is almost always seen wearing a bright smile. She's the tallest of her female friends, and her breasts are almost nonexistent. She is mostly seen wearing either her school uniform, consisting of a white button-up shirt underneath a yellow vest, a blue skirt, and black knee socks, or in a red and white long sleeved shirt, and denim jeans. Personality Her personality is fearless and hot-blooded, with a strong sense of duty and justice. Unlike Sawako and Ayane, Chizuru is extremely loud, brash, and talkative, always ready to speak her mind. She is cheerful with a large amount of fortitude enabling her to show courage in the face of adversity. Despite her intimidating nature, Chizuru has an unexpected sentimental side, often crying out of fear, frustration, anger, humiliation, or even comical effect. Not one of the brightest students, a running gag throughout the series is that she is constantly having classes during school breaks to make up her failed academic assignments. Additionally, she is often oblivious to her surroundings and insensitive to the feelings of others. Chizuru is also a big fan of Ramen, as shown when she wrote that she would like to study it in her career questionnaire, and Ayane onced joked that Chizuru was ramen in a previous life. Her favorite ramen shop is "Tetsuryuken", run by her childhood friend and neighbor Ryu Sanada's father, and she eventually ends up working there. : Relationships Ryu Sanada Ryu is Chizuru's childhood friend, next door neighbor, and later fiancé. As their parents were close, they were inseparable from the time they were toddlers to the time they graduated from Kitahoro High School. For a long time, their relationship was that of siblings, or as Chizuru joked, "brothers". During their early childhood days, while their parents visited each other, they would often play, fight, and eat together. Ryu's personality was quiet, while Chizuru's was loud, and he not easily understood by his peers or even his own family. But since Chizuru was always with him, she was somehow always able to understand his feelings. Their lives changed forever in elementary school when Ryu's mother Tetsuko Sanada tragically died in a car accident. During the aftermath, Ryu went under depression and did not smile for many months. Chizuru was unable to understand what he was thinking during this time, but realizing that Ryu was probably suffering, went as far as to leave his favorite food, Onigiri, at his doorstep. After finding Chizuru standing at his doorstep crying with Onigiri, Ryu finally let down his stoic face and broke down crying for the first time since his mother's death, and they hugged each other. The same year, his older brother Toru would have to leave for college. Aware that Ryu now would only have his father, Toru asked Chizuru to look after Ryu. On the evening Toru left, Chizuru vowed to Ryu, while they both sat looking out at the sea, that she would become his "sister" (sometimes interchanged with brothers due to Chizuru's tomboyish nature) and be by his side forever. It would be upon this promise that their relationship akin to siblings would be founded until Ryu confessed his unrequited romantic feelings to the horrified Chizuru at the age of 16. From a young age, Ryu had known that Chizuru wished to become his older brother Toru's bride and presumably Ryu's sister-in-law. However, he also knew that her wish was in vain, for Toru only saw her as a little sister. Ryu himself had developed his own crush on Chizuru, though was patient, accepting that Chizuru probably wouldn't see him in a romantic light, at least not right away. Before the start of the series, Chizuru was shown to be studying hard for the entrance exams to get into Kitahoro High School. Ryu believes that it is because Toru graduated from there. Later this is revealed to actually be because Ryu was going there, and she did not wish to become separated from him. At the start of the series, Ryu is one of Chizuru's only friends (the other being Shouta Kazehaya) until she meets Ayane Yano. Before the summer break, she and Ayane also meet and befriend Sawako Kuronuma. Later when rumors about Ayane and herself began spreading throughout the school, Ryu has enough confidence to not believe in them. When Chizuru begins to doubt Sawako's credibility, Ryu lends a listening ear and offers to comfort her if things don't go well. Things do end up well, however, and feeling grateful, Chizuru invites Sawako and Chizuru over to Ryu's house to let him know. Near the end of their freshman year, Ryu discovers that Toru has found a fiancée and is visiting during Christmas/New Year Break. He does not know how to properly tell Chizuru the news without distressing her. Chizuru also hurts his feelings by kicking him out of her house before he can explain, though it is only because she wanted to hide her birthday present for Ryu until his birthday. As a result a misunderstanding ensues, and while visiting Ryu one night along with friends, Chizuru discovers with horror that Toru is getting married. Feeling out of place, Chizuru hides her sorrow and avoids Ryu's house, waiting until Toru has left to give her present to Ryu. Misinterpreting her arrival as a means to visit Toru, Ryu becomes annoyed at her indifference towards him. Remorselessly repeating that Toru never had feelings for her, Ryu coldly expresses his happiness that they would never get together. Chizuru throws the present at Ryu's face in a rage, calling him a "baseball freakazoid". As she runs away, Ryu angrily mutters that she's an "idiot". The next day, they get into a fight in the school cafeteria. Chizuru ignores Ryu, and Ryu grabs her arm. Elbowing him, Chizuru explains that she never thought of visiting Toru because it wasn't her place to do so. Instead, she came to visit Ryu. Ryu realizes that she was the only person who remembered his birthday (because his entire family was more worried about Toru), and that he misunderstood her intentions this whole time. Feeling guilty but thankful, Ryu calls Toru to come back and visit Chizuru one last time before his marriage. Despite her heartbreak, Chizuru is glad that Toru came to visit, and realizes that Ryu must have called him back. After Toru left, Ryu finds Chizuru sitting at the same place near the sea, where she promised to be by his side forever. Ryu offers once again to comfort her. Chizuru thanks him for calling Toru, and reminisces their times together. She begins to deny her own feelings for Toru, hypothesizing that she only thought of him as an older brother deep down. But Ryu, who had always been watching her, affirms that she had "really liked him". At this, Chizuru begins to cry, asking for Ryu to comfort her. Ryu hugs her, and they reconcile. In reaction, Chizuru begins to cry. Yelling out her feelings of not wanting to be separated from Ryu, Chizuru eventually confesses her own realized feelings for him. At this, Ryu finally kisses her. nfesses the feelings of not wanting to be separated from Ryu, and eventually her own realized romantic feelings for him. At this, Ryu finally kisses her. starting a relationship. But Ryu wanted to go to a university and play baseball, but Chizu didn't want to attend. Chizu won't stay with him because she doesn't want him to leave the town. But now they are a couple. Ayane Yano When Chizu and Ayane first meet, neither were fond of each other. But both of them became desk-mates and their friendship got better. Both of them met Sawako and befriended her. Ayane would always support Chizu's decisions and they would also discuss other their love relationship. Sawako Kuronuma Chizu and Ayane befriended Sawako after learning that she isn't scary. Chizu pitied Sawako and was always seen crying. Chizu and Ayane both tease Sawako and Shouta about their possible relationship and gave her advice about it. Sawako had also taught Chizu to make chocolate muffins to give as a gift to Ryu. Ayane, Sawako and Chizu always discuss their problems and love relationships with the boys. Shouta Kazehaya Chizu and Kazehaya came from the same middle school. Their relationship is good and Chizu always teases him. Toru Sanada Chizu has always liked him since she was in elementary school and had wished to marry him when she grew up. Toru would always laugh and pat her head after Chizu would bring an insect to him. When she learns that Toru is getting married, she pretends that it was OK, only to cry later. She confessed to Toru before Toru left the town. Toru replied by saying that he had always seen her as a little sister and that will never change. After Chizu's confession, they remained friends. Quotes "You think you can order me around? You're from my middle school. You shouldn't be this dumb. I've got the record for 99 victories in a row fighting guys from our school! If you lay your slimy fingers on Sawako even once, it ain't gonna be pretty." "Didn't you know? By the time you call someone a friend, you've already been friends for a long time." - to Sawako "How much longer do you think you'll live your life by selling yourself short? Quit your stupidity!" - to Sawako Notes See also Category:Characters Category:Female Character Category:Kitahoro High School Student